The present invention relates to an apparatus for cooling an granulating thermoplastic strands. Conventionally, these granulating machines are equipped with a run-off or discharge chute arranged between the nozzles and the granulating cutting roller. The upper end of the discharge chute is provided with cooling water supply means so that the strands emerging from the nozzles in a molten condition are immediately cooled and sticking is prevented. The lower end of the chute leads the strands into the gap between two feed advance rollers which in turn supply the strands into the cutting roller proper.
Our U.S. Pat. No. 4,025,252, issued May 24, 1977 discloses a prior art granulating apparatus of the just described type. The chute in our prior granulating apparatus projects out of the plane defined by the exit openings of the nozzles and the inlet gap of the feed advance rollers in order to subject the strands to a beneficial tensioning as they travel from the nozzles over the chute to the transport rollers. The prior patent also discloses a twin embodiment in which two chutes and two sets of feed advance rollers as well as two cutting rollers are combined in a twin type arrangement. Our prior art apparatus works very efficiently. However, it has been found, that the efficiency can further be increased by more fully utilizing the cutting capacity of the cutting roller.